DES MOINES – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources will hold the 2018 spring auction on April 14, at Pioneer Livestock Pavilion on the Iowa State Fairgrounds, in Des Moines. Doors will open at 7 a.m., and the auction will begin at 8:30 a.m.

WAUKEE - About 70 Iowa Department of Natural Resources State Parks staff will take part in a hands-on tactical training hosted by Farrell’s Extreme Bodyshaping in Waukee, on March 28. The event is part of an overall training curriculum to help park staff hone safety, fitness and verbal compliance techniques.

During 2002 producers worried about having enough water because of drought. But having enough water for livestock and poultry is an everyday concern, especially if you are thinking about building or expanding an animal feeding operation. If construction is on your mind, the time to think about water supplies is now. Save headaches and money by verifying an adequate water source before you build.

Letters went out from DNR March 22 regarding the new electronic manure management plan (eMMP) application. DNR sent only one letter per facility site providing a Personal Identification Number (PIN) to owners of confinement facilities who must file manure management plans. If you are a co-owner who did not receive a letter, please work with your ownership group.

DES MOINES – DNR staff work with individuals, businesses and communities to help them protect our natural resources by complying with state and federal laws. This approach is very effective. In the few cases where compliance cannot be achieved, the DNR issues enforcement actions. The following list summarizes recent enforcement actions.

Thunderous calls from competing Toms trying to out-do one another for the affection from nearby hens will be rattling through Iowa’s timber later this month marking the beginning of the wild turkey breeding season.

For those interested in learning outdoor skills that go “back to the basics,” join DNR Park Ranger Michael Strauser and volunteer instructors at a one-day class at Pilot Knob State Park near Forest City, on Sat., April 28 from 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

More than 3,600 Iowa trout anglers participated in the 2016 Trout Angler Survey, sharing their trout fishing preferences and experiences. Eighty percent of respondents are very satisfied with the trout program.

Although pond plant growth is not always the same each year; if you had problems using your pond last year, you could have similar problems this year. A healthy pond needs aquatic plant habitat, but too many plants can limit the pond’s use and cause imbalances in the fish population.

DES MOINES – Alliant Energy residential customers can purchase landscaping trees for their homes at a deep discount this spring. Customers may reserve up to two trees and pick them up at Operation ReLeaf events in Allamakee, Benton, Clarke, Dickinson, Dubuque, Greene, Linn, Muscatine and Wayne counties in April and May.

Channel catfish move close to shore and are eager to bite in many lakes and the large reservoirs across Iowa. After eating light during the winter, channel catfish go on a feeding frenzy in early spring cleaning up small fish that died over the winter.

Des Moines – The Natural Resource Commission (NRC) of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources will meet via teleconference at 10 a.m. on March 13. The meeting will originate from the fourth-floor conference room, Wallace State Office Building, 502 East Ninth Street, in Des Moines.

WINDSOR HEIGHTS – Updating state rules to reflect changes in state and federal law will be up for the Environmental Protection Commission’s consideration at their business meeting at 10 a.m., March 20, in Windsor Heights.

DES MOINES — The normally dry months of January and February produced more than 2.5 inches of moisture this year, enough to continue improvement in drought conditions across much of the state, according to the latest Water Summary Update from the Iowa DNR.

Des Moines – The Natural Resource Commission (NRC) of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources will meet at 9:30 a.m. on March 8, in the fourth-floor conference room, Wallace State Office Building, 502 East Ninth Street, in Des Moines.

Nicholas Slater of Glendale, Ariz. was found guilty following a trial on Feb. 12, 2018 for charges related to poaching a whitetail deer. The poaching incident occurred at Lake Manawa State Park in Council Bluffs on Nov. 19, 2016.

Eleven businesses will participate in DNR’s 2018 Pollution Prevention (P2) Intern Program. Upper-level college and university students work on-site at Iowa companies for 12- or 24-week paid internships to research solutions and implement pollution prevention strategies that will increase efficiency, reduce costs and help meet companies’ environmental goals.

DNR staff work with individuals, businesses and communities to help them protect our natural resources by complying with state and federal laws. This approach is very effective. In the few cases where compliance cannot be achieved, the DNR issues enforcement actions.

Hunter Education Classroom courses are offered by knowledgeable and certified volunteer instructors and Iowa Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officers. Classroom courses are typically 12-15 hours in length and are held over 2 to 3 sessions (days). In order to receive certification, a student must attend all sessions and pass the final exam.